Hoping to make a strong impression

If they are to reach the World Cup quarterfinals, Zimbabwe will need to beat Ireland and the UAE, the non-Test nations in Pool B, and find a way to defeat at least one of India, South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies.

It shapes as a tough but not impossible task and the Zimbabweans will have been encouraged by the dismal form of the West Indies during their series in South Africa.

For a small cricketing country, Zimbabwe have occasionally punched above their weight at World Cups, most notably when they defeated Australia in their first appearance in the tournament in 1983 when they were still an associate nation. They reached the Super Six stage in both 1999 and 2003 before an administrative upheaval which resulted in many leading players quitting the game, eventually resulting in Zimbabwe withdrawing from Test cricket for six years. Without again reaching the heights that were achieved when the likes of Andy Flower and Heath Streak were playing, Zimbabwe have shown they are capable of causing the occasional upset against leading teams, such as when they beat Australia in Harare last August.

They will rely on a handful of proven players such as Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams and captain Elton Chigumbura, while Solomon Mire is regarded as a promising all-rounder. The bowling lacks major penetrative power but Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara lead a steady bowling attack in which left-arm spinner Williams could play an important role. Although Zimbabwe beat Australia and performed respectably against South Africa, they then underwent a disastrous tour of Bangladesh, losing all three Test matches and five one-day internationals.

In the aftermath of the Bangladesh debacle, coach Stephen Mangongo was replaced by Dav Whatmore, the much-travelled Australian, and six players who did not go to Bangladesh were brought into the World Cup squad.

Unlike most of the other teams, Zimbabwe have not played any one-day internationals during the build-up period to the World Cup -- they were last in action in Bangladesh on December 1.

In a recent interview, Whatmore said he was impressed with the determination of the players to "turn things around".

It will be a tall order.